Island



(Np Model.) 2 SheetsfShet 1.

O. B. BROWN. CLOTH STRBTGHING n/ fAcHI1\LE.v Y

No. 546,092. muted sp. 1o, 1895.

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(N Model.) i 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' 0. E. DROWN.

GLoTH STRBTGHING MAGHINE.

No. 546,092. Patentedv Sept. 10,1895..

31a/vento@ attwnu ANDREW ERANAM PHDTULUHD, WASHINGTUN, D C

NITED tramas" ATENT FFICE..

CLOTH-STRETQHING MACHINE.

sPEcrFIcATIoN forming part f Letters Patent No. 546,092, dated september1o, 1895. Application filed June e, 1894. serai Naslavs. (No maden Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTIs E. DROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOlothStretching letters of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification.

My invention :relates to machines usedfor stretching cloths or otherfabrics in a lateral direction. Stretchers of this class are welladapted to receive the continuous web of Wet fabric as it comes from thewashinglmachine or mangle, and at the same time to both smooth it byremoving the wrinkles and to increase its width. The thus-treated fabricmay then be passed to suitable calendering mechanism to be further actedupon as desired. l

The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the whole widthof the cloth or fabric is gradually acted upon and in an increasingdegree from the center toward each selvage of the fabric. For thispurpose I employ a series of rolls or disks of increasing diameterindependently mounted upon axles in a stationary housing or guide andrevolving therein, over the tops of which the cloth passes fortreatment. The said rolls or disks are placed in the housing o1' guideat varying angles, and as drawn they radiate from one common center. Theupper peripheral surface of the rolls or disks projects through andabove the stationary housing or guide and parallel with the top surfacethereof,so as to produce, While revolving therein by frictional contactwith the cloth, a gradual lateral divergent movement of the twoselvages, and thus gradually and uniformly stretch the width of thefabric acted upon.

To more fully describe and illustrate my improved stretching; machine Ihave prepared the accompanying sheet of drawings, Whereon- Figure lrepresents a plan view, a portion of the housing or guidebeing brokenaway.

on the line y y of the latter.

`beyond the periphery of the shell.

Fig. 2 is transverse sectional view taken on line .fr of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a side elevation, enlarged, showing sectionally one of theclothstretching disks. Fig. 4. is a plan view of a portion of themachine on an enlarged scale, and'Fig. 5 is a longitudinal verticalsection Fig. 6 shows a modified form of the supporting-base.

In the drawings, I have represented my improved cloth-stretching deviceas combined with a guide-roll D, adapted to properly de- .liver thefabric to the stretcher, and a pair of calender-rolls E F. These lattermay be constructed and actuated in any Well-known manner. y l

In my improved cloth-stretching machine I employ a fixed base member, asm, adapted to befsecured to any suitable foundation or support. To thetop of said base is secured a longitudinally-extending shell or housingA, whose upper-half portion is curved, being in fact practicallysexnicircular. The curved surface of the shell is true and smooth andserves as a guide or support for the fabric when the latter is passingover it. The shell is provided with a series of obliquely-arrangedopeningsr s," extending therethrough transversely. These severalopenings vary in inclination and are oppositely arranged, thus formingdouble inclined openings, as clearly shown in Fig. l. Since the openingsvary in degree of inclination, it is obvious that they are not parallelwith each other. The several openings may converge to a common pointlocated Within the shell A are mounted rotatable disks orstretcher-wheels ct. These disks extend uniformly through'thesemi-circumference of the several openings s a short distance (a diskfor each opening) and are adapted to engage the contiguous side of thefabric. The several disks, while being uniform in thickness, vary insize or diameterA to correspond with the varying inclination of the saidopenings.

The housing A may be made of suitable metal, as brass, and'prcvided'withasmooth surface for supporting the fabric during its passage over it,thereby preventing it from sagging and rolling down between the severaldisks. 'Ihe openings s are so arranged that they gradually increase inObliquity from the center portion of the housing to the ends.

The disks a may be mounted upon screwthreaded arbors l) in a mannersimilar to that employed for securing circular saws to arbors. Thearbors b are supported in bearings c, forming a part of the brackets G,the latter being fastened to the housing-base m. (See Fig. 2.) It willbe apparent, since the disks are located at different angles withrespect to the axis of the housing, and since they extend through thelatter a uniform distance, that they must necessarily vary in diameter.In fact they do so differ in size, the smallest being at or near thecenter of the housing and the largest at the ends of the stretcher. Inorder to maintain the upper semi-circumferences of the disks inalignment the brackets G are made variable in height, the shortest beingat the ends. The brackets are arranged so that the arbore revolve freelyinthe bearings c. If desired the arbor may be non-rotatable, the disk insuch case being adapted to revolve on the arbor. The outer edge orperiphery of each disk is beveled and may be roughened or :provided withshort projecting pins or spurs adapted to engage the under surface ofthe fabric to prevent the latter from slipping during its passage. Theworking edges of the disks are in true alignment and parallel with theconvex surface of the housing.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the relation of the web of cloth to thestretcher, dro. The roll C of cloth may be located above or below orsome distance away from the machine. It is desirable, however, to employthe small guideroll D, the position of the latter being such that itserves to properly lead the cloth to the stretcher. The relation of thecalender or compression-rolls E F to the stretcher may in like manner bevaried so long as sufficient frictional surface contact of the fabricacted upon is maintained on the stretchers surface.

To prevent any unnecessary unwinding of the filled fabric-roll while themachine is in operation, fractional resistance may be applied to theaxle of the same, as common to machines of this character, whichconsists, generally, of a leather strap-brake. I may add that the angleof the rolls or disks a, which as drawn radiates from one common center,may be of any desired degree by changing the location of the brackets G,the slots s in the housing being cut correspondingly. A slight change inthe angle of the disks and the brackets may be made at will to adaptthem to the requirements of various fabrics. It is obvious that thediameter of the outer or end disks exceeds that of the center disks, theseveral disks increasingin diameter from the center to the ends of thestretcher, and since the projecting or working portions of the disks arein alignment it follows that the axes of the disks must lie in differenthorizontal planes, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. In case the base m beparallel with the top surface of the housing A, as drawn, the bracketsvary in height, as before stated. Brackets uniform in height may beused. In such case, however,`the base m should be inclined from thecenter downwardly toward the ends.

By mounting the disks independently upon their support, instead of upona common central rod or bar, I am enabled to effect a result neverhitherto attained, so far as I am aware-that is, to arrange the disks sothat although progressively inclined to the direction of travel of thefabric the tops of the disks are on the same level, and at the same timethe edges of the disks which first came into contact with the clothcontact with the same simultaneously. I-Iitherto when vertical diskshave been employed they have had a common support passing through theircenters, and necessarily, when the tops of the disks were on a level,the sides of the disks were not in line with each other, but the sidesof the disks that were farthest from the centers, and therefore weremore oblique in direction, were farthest from the advancing cloth. Now,two objects are of great importance in mechanism for stretchingcloth-first,

that the cloth should contact with the stretcher-disks simultaneously atall points along a straight line transverse of the cloth; second, thatthe cloth should be carried to the same level or height at all points ofsaid line.

Devices hitherto constructed for stretching cloth have had the tops ofthe disks on the same level, but by reason of the progressive Obliquityof the disks the front edges of the disks or the points of contact withthe advancing cloth were not in the same plane and did notsimultaneously engage the cloth.

I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent- 1.In a cloth stretching device, a series of disks adapted to be engagedwith and rotated by the traveling fabric, and arranged at progressivelyincreasing inclinations to the direction of travel of the fabric, saiddisks being rotatively mounted on separate or independent standardsextending beyond the peripheries of the disks and there resting upon acommon support, substantially as described.

2. In a cloth stretching device, a series of vertical disks adapted tobe engaged with and .rotated by the traveling fabric, and arranged atprogressively increasing inclinations to the direction of travel of thefabric, said disks being rotatively mounted on separate or independentstandards extending beyond the peripheries of the disks and thereresting upon a common support, substantially as described.

3. In a cloth stretching device, a series of disks adapted to be engagedwith and rotated by the traveling fabric, the axes of said disks beingall horizontal but at successively lower elevations, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a cloth stretching machine, a series of disks of progressivelyincreasing Obliquity adapted to be engaged with and rotated by IOO IIC

IZO

the traveling fabric, the tops of said disks 'being disposed at the sameheight but their converging toward a common point located, axes atdifferent heights, substantially as deexteriorly of said shell,substantially as described. l scribed.

5. In a cloth-stretehing machine, the com- In testimony whereof I haveaflixed my sig- 5 bination with a fixed cloth-supporting shell nature inpresence of two witnesses.

or easing having straight parallel sides, of a.

series of independently mounted rotatable OTIS E. DROWN. disks Varyingin diameter and extending out- Witnesses: Wardly through the Walls ofthe shell; said GEO. H. REMINGTON,

zo disks being disposed at different angles and IDA M. WARREN.

